President Donald Trump has said Qatar and Saudi Arabia both want a peaceful end to the war with Iran, but warned the United States is ready to resume military strikes if diplomacy fails.
Mr Trump spoke to Reuters in a brief telephone interview on Monday, hours after meeting Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, at the White House. “Qatar would rather see a peaceful solution,” he said. “Saudi Arabia would rather see a peaceful solution” — but “we’re ready to go anytime we want” with strikes.
He signalled he was in no hurry to order new attacks, saying he was content for now with the American naval blockade of Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which a large share of the world’s seaborne oil passes. “We’ll see where it goes,” he said. “I’m prepared.”
The remarks came a day after Mr Trump told CNN he was “highly unlikely” to order fresh attacks as long as negotiations keep making progress, and repeated his claim that Tehran wants a deal “so badly”. His secretary of state, Marco Rubio, struck a more cautious note on Sunday, saying the talks had made “little progress” and that he saw no imminent breakthrough.
Qatar has acted as the main mediator between Washington and Tehran since early in the war, which began on 28 February when the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran. Sheikh Mohammed visited Tehran last week before travelling to Washington, where Vice President JD Vance was also due to meet him.
Iran has proposed ending the war by lifting the American blockade of its ports, easing some sanctions and halting bombing, in return for Tehran ending its own blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, with talks on its nuclear programme to follow. Washington has repeatedly rejected that plan, which Tehran says could be condensed into a two-day timetable. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, defended the proposal on Monday as the most reasonable offer on the table.
The latest exchanges come after a weekend of limited strikes. Mr Trump confirmed on Friday that American forces had destroyed an Iranian air-defence system on Qeshm Island in the strait, describing the operation as “minor”. A provincial official told Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency on Monday that the strikes had not damaged vital infrastructure or services.
Mr Trump has also warned that the United States has identified targets inside Iran, including 38 bridges he said could be destroyed “in literally one hour”, and has said three American aircraft carriers are in the region.
Sources: Reuters, “Trump tells Reuters that Qatar, Saudi Arabia want peaceful Iran deal, US ready for strikes if needed”, 9 November 2026 — https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/trump-says-qatar-saudi-arabia-want-peaceful-solution-iran-us-ready-strikes-if-2026-11-09/ ; Reuters, “Trump to meet Iran war mediator Qatar, no imminent deal seen to end the war”, 9 November 2026 — https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/trump-meet-iran-war-mediator-qatar-no-imminent-deal-seen-end-war-2026-11-09/
